Once upon a time, there was a man named Bruno.
He was a bodyguard who worked for the Don.
One day, he did not have to work.
He decided to go to the racetrack.
Bruno chose a horse to bet on…
…and took a seat to watch the race.
The horses ran around and around the track.
Bruno was very excited—would his horse win?
At last, the race was almost over. Bruno’s horse was winning!
Then something happened that made Bruno forget all about his bet.
Just before the first horse crossed the finish line…
…he reared up and stopped in his tracks, as though he had seen something very scary.
The horse’s rider was thrown, and there was a loud crack! as his neck broke.
All the other horses stopped.
Two other riders were thrown. One of them was trampled. His intestines fell onto the ground.
None of the horses were hurt. Bruno thought this was a little odd.
After the race, Bruno went to talk to the jockeys.
The jockeys were all standing in a group. They looked scared.
“What is going on?” Bruno asked.
At first, the jockeys did not want to talk to Bruno.
At last, one of them said, “This is not the first time a jockey has been killed here.”
The others nodded. “It all started about a year ago….”
“…there was a horse named Lady’s Fancy…”
Suddenly, Bruno found himself in the past. (He could tell, because everything was in black and white).
He was riding a horse!
The horse was winning the race.
Bruno did not know what to do, so he just concentrated on not falling off. He had never ridden a horse before.
Just before crossing the finish line, the horse fell and lay on the ground.
Bruno was a little scared. He jumped off the horse.
The horse’s leg was bent and mangled. Bruno was sad.
Someone led Bruno away. He heard a gunshot behind him…
Then everything was in color again.
One of the jockeys was still talking. “…so Lady’s Fancy had to be shot. Ever since then, every month, if there is a race on the day that Lady’s Fancy died, a jockey is killed. Just like today.”
“Some people say that Lady’s Fancy’s ghost appears, and that is why the horses spook,” said another jockey.
Bruno thought for a minute. “Why has no one shut down the race track?”
The jockeys looked at one another. “No one really cares about jockeys, mister. We are expendable like the horses.”
Bruno frowned. He liked horses. He did not think that people should die for no reason.
“I want to help,” said Bruno. “Has Lady’s Fancy ever appeared anywhere else?”
The jockeys thought. “The horse who has Lady’s Fancy’s stall now never seems to sleep. Maybe there is something there,” said a relatively old jockey (jockeys usually do not live to be very old).
Bruno told the jockeys that he would spend the night in the stall.
“Do not spend the night in the stall,” said a jockey. His name was Joe.
“I am not afraid of ghosts,” said Bruno.
The jockeys laughed. “I would not worry about a ghost,” said Joe, “I would worry about Rule Britannia. He is the horse who lives in the stall now.”
“If you sleep in the stall, he will probably kill you. Racehorses can be very dangerous animals, especially around people they do not know,” added another jockey.
Bruno laughed. “Alright. I will spend the night outside the stall, and I will see what I can find out.”
Bruno was not sure what to expect. He brought: three guns, a knife and a flashlight.
He also brought a blanket and a pillow, in case nothing happened and he could actually sleep…
Bruno was sleeping just fine. The little sounds that Rule Britannia made in his stall were relaxing.
Until…at about three in the morning…Bruno was woken up by a loud, scary sound. It sounded like a horse screaming.
Bruno sat bolt upright. Right in front of him was a horse.
But this was not a normal horse. This horse was pure white…
…and had glowing red eyes…
…and enormous white teeth.
Bruno was a little scared. He did not move.
The horse stared at Bruno.
Bruno stared back.
Finally, Bruno was tired of being afraid. “Are you Lady’s Fancy?” he asked.
The horse nodded.
Bruno was a little surprised, but he asked, “what do you want?”
Lady’s Fancy tossed his head.
“…do you want me to follow you?” Bruno asked.
Lady’s Fancy nodded again.
Bruno decided that he did not care what happened. He wanted to know what was going on. He followed the horse.
Lady’s Fancy led Bruno to the track’s veterinarian office.
Inside, Bruno found the usual supplies—but he also found a supply of horse steroids.
Bruno looked at the horse. “Did the veterinarian drug you?” he asked.
Lady’s Fancy nodded.
Bruno patted the horse’s neck. “I’ll make sure that it does not happen to any other horse in this track.”
Lady’s Fancy nuzzled Bruno. Then he disappeared.
Bruno woke up on his blanket outside the stall. “Wow,” said Bruno.
The next day, he waited outside the veterinarian’s office.
When the veterinarian arrived, Bruno put a gun against the man’s forehead.
“You drugged Lady’s Fancy. That is why he fell and broke his leg.” Bruno accused.
The veterinarian was very scared. “No I did not…” he stammered.
Bruno pistol whipped the veterinarian across the face. “The Don does not believe in drugging racehorses. He fixes races more humanely.”
Bruno paused. “…or did you even fix the race in the Don’s favour?”
“I…I’m sorry…” the veterinarian cried.
Bruno shot him in the head.
Ever since then, no one has seen Lady’s Fancy at the racetrack.
But, every month, on the night that the horse died, Lady’s Fancy still visits Bruno.
The End.
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